Well, Bitten did a sweet couscous a while back which is quite delicious.

I made this over couscous last week and it was truly amazing - worth finding all the spices for.

Instead of buying all those spices, you could find some ras el hanout, which is pretty much the same thing. And it's what I was going to suggest for cous cous making: Cook the couses, add ras el hanout, lemon juice, parsley, chickpeas, and chopped veggies of your choice. (I'd use carrots and red bell pepper.)

I finely chop a bunch of coriander, some spring onions and some tomatoes and throw into the dry couscous. Add garlic if you like it (I add a lot) and then add the required boiling water (or stock) and butter. Stir, sit and then fluff. Toasted almonds are good on top, as is sumac (or lemon juice).

It's kinda salad-y and fresh.

ras el hanout? Never heard of that. I will have to look for it...I hear there are some MIddle Eastern groceries in Somerville, MA. Maybe there.

and ninazer0, that sounds good.

Miko, I get it in the bulk spice section of my food Co-op. The kind they carry has dried rose petals in it!

Why do you torture me? I had a recipe that has been lost for years for something that I think was called "Confetti Couscous" - though this may just be a name I heard later and applied because it fits so well. None of the "confetti" or "Moroccan" coucous recipes I've found on the internet are the same. I know it had chopped carrots and zucchini, possibly red and/or green bell pepper, raisins, maybe almonds, spring onions, perhaps, and some orange juice. I think. Very pretty and delicious.

How could I lose that recipe? It was a dead-sure winner to bring to any potluck... Lovely to look at, unusual so it was never duplicated, goes with just about anything, vegetarian, light and refreshing in summer. Perfect. Everyone would ask for the recipe. Which is gone. *sobs*

I have a very unsophisticated palate, plus I live alone so I hate cooking, but... once I sautéed garlic in oil, then added broccoli and sautéed that, then served that over a layer of chickpeas over a layer of couscous, and ate it with just a sprinkle of soy sauce. And it's crazy simple to the point of being kind of stupid, but I actually still crave that combination to this day.

I love eating couscous but for some reason I always ruin it when I try to cook it. It comes out hard every time.

My recipe had me pouring boiling water over couscous and letting it sit for some time... and that was all the cooking there was to it. Of course if I had my recipe, I could say how much boiling water to how much couscous. *cries some more* but here is an article on that. though mine was not so complicated, and still worked perfectly

These are some great ideas. I recently made some stuffed peppers with couscous, canelli beans, feta and herbs. Pretty tasty. Thanks!